At one point in time there was much speculation about Darko Milicic when he was drafted into the NBA. The first thought of many fans I know was that he was going to be a legitimate big man. He's from Serbia and many players in the NBA from overseas possess the fundamental skills that help them adapt rather quickly into the fast pace of the league. Well, that wasn't necessarily the case when Milicic entered the league and many coaches, players and fans were down right disappointed. Milicic instead engraved his name as being the biggest bust in a long while. For his career, Milicic has averaged just six points and four rebounds per game. Darko has been in the league for seven years now and is on his fifth team. Coming into the league, Milicic was drafted by Detroit then moved to Orlando. After Orlando it was off to Memphis and then to the Knicks for a season in 2009-2010. Now, Milicic seems to finally have found a little bit of comfort playing alongside Kevin Love in Minnesota. So as you can see, the trip to solidity and a permanent roster spot has not been easy for the once highly touted savior for the Detroit Pistons. So here we are in the present day and Milicic just got done putting up 25 points and 11 rebounds in a road loss to the Warriors. six points and four rebounds for a career average and now he's getting 25 and 11? Yes, sir. This season alone with the Timberwolves, Milicic is averaging just under ten points and six rebounds per contest. Darko is playing about 28 minutes a game and shooting 43% from the field. It almost seems like there's a different layer in Darko's body. After taking a look at most of the Golden State game last night, one thing was evident to me revolving around Darko's game. Confidence. He's finally playing like he belongs in a system and has that ability to go out and put up numbers night in and night out. His footwork was tremendous and his ability to finish high with the baby hooks, both right and left handed kept the opposing bigs at bay. What was most impressive to me was Darko's movement without the ball. He would float from left to right and from top to bottom, constantly finding holes in the defense and putting himself in position to finish at the rim. I can't pinpoint where this new found confidence has come from, but I can say I love it. I love when players finally find their niche and start to thrive and play well. Maybe Kevin Love had a bit to do with providing a solid backbone for Darko to follow or Kurt Rambis has instilled some sort of guiding light in the Serbian's mind. Either way, Milicic is playing very solid and would be a great compliment to Love on the blocks in Minnesota. Peace Up, Threes Down!